Team,
I hope that this note finds you well. We’ve had a great week in that we’ve hit a new milestone, are getting geared up for our upcoming fundraiser and have heard from our friends forward so we’ve got a lot of great things to report.
What’s the milestone? For the first time ever, we’ve sold out our upcoming “Socks for Heroes Invitational” fundraiser over a week before the event! While we were a little over half-way there, our friends at Turner’s Outdoorsman put out an e-mail blast for us and within 24 hours we were sold out.
I guess folks around here are getting a little more stir-crazy than we thought!
It’s a big deal for us as this shoot will enable us to make sure that we’ll be able to keep up our momentum of making sure that the men and women forward have new, clean socks during their deployments.
To all of you who took the time to help us make this possible, we are deeply grateful.
On Tuesday, the Marine Corps will celebrate it’s 245th Birthday. It’s a time where every Marine takes a moment to connect to every other Marine to celebrate the history of their beloved Corps.
This year it’s a little different in that there are no Marine Corps Birthday balls due to concerns over COVID-19, however the Marines have done what they have become famous for, assessing, adapting and overcoming.
Most of the celebrations this year will be Marine-only events which will include the traditional cake-cutting ceremony and a remembrance of all the Marines that came before them. Some of them will be held on parade decks, others in the field. No dress blues, no wives. Cammie’s and comrades only.
We have been helping to make these celebrations a little more festive. Even if we can’t go, we don’t want to be spoilsports. In return we’ve received a number of pictures of the Marines holding forth. One of them was from a unit in 29 Palms whose Marines opted not to go with a store-bought cake but had a contest to see who could bake the best one. I have included them for your enjoyment.
Typically, there is the Commandant’s video message that precedes the celebration, followed by the march on of the colors, the cake being wheeled in, which is the followed by General Lejeune’s birthday message:
“On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date, many thousands of men have borne that name Marine. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the Birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.
The record of our Corps is one which bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war and in the long era of tranquility at home generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres, and in every corner of the seven seas so that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
In every battle and skirmish since the Birth of the Corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the Corps. With it we also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our Corps from generation and has long been the distinguishing mark of Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the me of our nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps”
Following the reading, there is the cutting of the cake, the guest of honor speaks, the colors are marched off and the ceremony ends.
But before all of it, there is another reading. The reminder to all of those who gave the last full measure.
“A single, lone table draped in black with one empty chair is placed near the entrance so everyone who walks past it never forgets why we are free. This signifies all our fallen comrades who are not with us because they have given the full measure of devotion to our country and to our beloved Corps. This single-lighted candle reminds us of the flame of eternal life so that the memory of our fallen comrades will be with us always. The Purple Heart Medal is displayed to reflect the shedding of blood and the ebb of life in battle. The identification tags, blank, yet they could bear the name of any Marine. The dinner setting, inverted, they break bread with us in spirit only.”
As you can guess, this tugs at us a little bit every time we hear it. It is the same feeling as when we attended our first Marine Corps ball at the Naval Academy told the Midshipmen who planned on becoming Marines who were in attendance, “Remember that our primary purpose is for the preparation of war, and in war people die.”
While this year we won’t hear it, we’ve been blessed to hear from Marines who are forward deployed who let us know that our family’s connection to the Corps is not forgotten.
We received a note from an officer who deployed with our son who we are now shipping socks to. He writes:
“As a former Nawa Vet, I want to thank you for this gift of support to our Marines. But more importantly, I still thank you and your family for raising a son who became the Marine, LCpl Donald Hogan. Following Nawa, I became the XO for Apache, and eventually Apache 6 after Sangin. To this day, I stay in touch with the Marines of Geronimo and we still talk often about that deployment, and the Marines like Donald. Your continued dedication to 1/5, 5th Marine Regiment, and now all of 1 MARDIV is a moving example of the character and patriotism that LCpl Hogan lived his life and gave his life that day in Nawa. Thank you again, on behalf of all of the Marines of our unit.”
We also heard from the Commander of another unit who was kind enough to send us some pictures of the Marines with our socks.
“Just a quick note to let you know that your initial shipment did in fact arrive and we are pushing them out to all hands. As promised, attached are some pictures. I am actually wearing a pair of them as I type this, and they are fantastic. Pls accept a heartfelt “Thank you!” from me on behalf of the Marines and Sailors of our unit. Also know that Donald’s Navy Cross citation was read to all hands before the socks were distributed. “
We are again humbled by the kindness of these men and women who take the time to remember our son who is now part of their history. While our son is no longer with us, the Marine Corps lives forever, so he too lives forever.
Happy Birthday Marines wherever you find yourselves on your 245th Birthday!
We’ve got a busy week next week, as not only we’ve got our shoot coming up, but following that, we’ll have another shipment of socks to get out. We’re grateful that you are with us to make it our mission possible.
Thanks for joining us in our position in this fight!
Jim Hogan
In memory of our son, LCPL Donald Hogan
Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
KIA 8/26/2009 Nawa, Afghanistan
We honor his memory by caring for Americans wherever they serve in harm’s way.